A gargantuan sight in Inverclyde this afternoon.  An 8 meter tall, blue marionette called The Big Man was entertained and given gifts by local school children and groups as he walked the streets of Gourock. Despite the rain, there was a great turn out and this evening he will be walking at Battery Park before the annual fireworks display.

The Big Man Walking
Gourock 2009

Working in both acrylic and watercolour allows for the use of a strong palette or a more subtle treatment of the subject matter both in Kate’s usual lively and spontaneous style.

Iona Village Giclee Fine Art Print
by Kate Philp

This image is part of a signed limited edition print run of 250, available in two sizes. Small Size 229mm x 229mm and Large Size 432mm x 432mm. All our prints are produced on heavyweight mould made pH neutral etching paper. The inks used are archival quality pigment inks.

More Kate Philp | The Bay Attic | Art Cards and Gifts

More Maxwell the pup | The Bay Attic

Halloween. What’s it all about ?

When I was at school I am sure I remembered the teachers explaining about Halloween. If I remember correctly it was a festival or celebration for Celts and Druids or Priests called Samhain.

November the 1st, was called the feast of Samhain. The night before or ‘eve’ of Samhain was believed to be the night when evil spirits would return to earth and inhabit the living souls of animals or even the Celts themselves ! Thus the Celts would put on costumes as a disguise to confuse the evil spirits. Hence our tradition today of dressing up at Halloween.

I am sure the origins of Halloween are more complex than my explanation, but it has always been one of my favourite time of year. To be enjoyed whether young or old !

The Bay Attic | Invitations | Giclee Fine Art Prints | Art Cards and Gifts

This print reminded me of sitting by the sea at the Kyrenia Beach Restaurant in Avdimou, Cyprus earlier in the year. Having lunch, people watching and generally letting the World pass by. I don’t think this print is of Cyprus, it’s just the bright sunshine and the relaxed expectation of the vista that reminds me of my lazy day at the beach cafe.

Cafe Society Giclee Fine Art Print
by Lin Pattullo

Coincidently, I received an email from Cyprus today, and surprisingly they were having their first torrent of thunder and rain, in recent months !

The correspondence also brought to mind the day I visited the Carob Museum in Anoyira. This area of Cyprus is famous for Carob trees, some trees are at least 150 years old.

Carob Tree with seed pods

The lady who runs the museum and shop demonstrated how the Carobs were harvested and turned into Carob syrup, and Pastelli or Carob toffee, in the traditional way, as her father had made.

The Carob Museum, Anoyria, Cyprus

The Carob Museum Curator/Owner

The Pastelli is made by boiling the carob pods in water in a large pot called a Hartchi, this takes a considerable amount of time, eventually the mixture thickens and looks like syrup,  the pods are removed, and the syrup mixture is then poured into wooden moulds and cooled. The Pastelli is malliable and is then stretched and pulled till it’s colour changes to a coppery bronze. The Pastelli or Carob Toffee resembles what we would call toffee in the UK, although on tasting I found the Pastelli melted in the mouth – delicious !

Funny enough, the lady previously lived in Scotland for many years !

A selection of yacht and boats came to mind today. Perhaps because of the Queen Mary 2 visit earlier in the week, this is why I have been drawn to these prints by Lin Pattullo, Robert Kelsey, Daivd Morrison and Jean Feeney. Here we have four very different interpretations of sea-fairing craft.

Bright Boat, Plockton Giclee Fine Art Print
by Lin Pattullo

Fishing Boat, Oban Giclee Fine Art Print
by David Morrison

Chugging Along Giclee Fine Art Print
by Jean Feeney

Geese on the sands of Morar Giclee Fine Art Print
by Robert Kelsey

More Lin Pattullo | David Morrison | Jean Feeney | Robert Kelsey | The Bay Attic

I rather like this print from Kate. It has a watery, textile feel, which I am rather partial too. It’s one of those prints I could look at every day and find something else in the scene catches my eye. The Eildon Hills, in the Scottish Borders, survey the landscape around Melrose and are steeped in history, myth and legend.

This image is part of a signed limited edition of 250.
The print is available in two sizes.
Small 229mm x 229mm. Large 508mm x 508mm.

All our prints are produced on heavyweight mould made pH neutral etching paper.
The inks used are archival quality pigment inks.

More Kate Philp

I was awoken by her chorus, as she glistened in the darkness of the morning. Unfortunately, I did not manage to see her over the course of the day but she again majestically passed me by on leaving for Liverpool that evening of the 19th October 2009.

A fantastic sight to see, and I believe the biggest ship ever to visit the River Clyde. The Greenock Telegraph reported that 5000 people lined the waterfront to see her. Passengers and sightseers were entertained by a  spectacular firework display before she departed for Liverpool.

Back in September we received an email from Schmap Guides, to say that one of our Flickr photos had been short listed for the 9th Edition of the Edinburgh Schmap guide. And this week we found out that our photos/video has been included - yay ! So if you are planning a visit to Edinburgh, check out the guides and our photo of course !